HAMLET — The Hamlet City Council got a detailed looked at the most exciting new developments coming to downtown: Stephanie Al-Zubaidy’s coffee shop, distillery, soda fountain and a building she plans to renovate in order to host various tenants, all aimed at bringing new energy to the area.
Al-Zubaidy, a longtime businesswoman in Charlotte and current CFO of Three Rivers Home, LLC, purchased three properties last year: the former barbershop at 34 Hamlet Ave., the Birmingham Drug building across from the Hamlet Depot, and the former E-Z Pawn at 3 E. Hamlet Ave.
The former barbershop will become Axe to Grind, a coffee shop and axe-throwing venue slated to open in March. She plans to convert the Birmingham Drug building into a distillery and a retro soda fountain, though this project is still 18-24 months away from completion. And the property at 3 E. Hamlet Ave. will be available “soon,” according to Al-Zubaidy.
She sees Axe to Grind as a “third space”, meaning a place where people can congregate after they go from home (the first space) to work (the second space), which she said Hamlet doesn’t have a lot of at the moment. Other third spaces include a park, a sports venue, a museum — or a distillery.
The as-of-yet unnamed future distillery will be headed up by Lisa Lowery, a master distiller who has been featured on Discovery Channel’s show “Master Distiller” and in a forthcoming documentary called “Moonshine: An American Heritage.”
“Distilleries are really changing the face of communities and bringing in a lot more people from out of town,” Al-Zubaidy said. “We want to do something very tasteful with historic preservation in mind and with a thought to the community as well.”
Lowery said the distillery will not be a “bar”, in the sense that it will close early in an effort to avoid a rowdy crowd — “Nothing good happens after nine or ten o’clock,” she said. Asked by City Manager Matthew Christian what the “ideal customer” would be for the distillery, Lowery said it would be everyone, giving the example of her brewery in Carolina Beach which has a disc golf course behind it which creates an environment where drinks can be served while still being welcoming to families.
Al-Zubaidy and Lowery’s pitch was met with excitement by the City Council, who later in the meeting aggressively pushed for new efforts to improve the look of the city to make the most of the new developments.
Mayor Bill Bayless asked what the city could do to help, and at the top of Lowery’s list was to amend the city’s ordinances to allow for a distillery. Bayless asked Christian to get with the city attorney to work this out for consideration by the council at a later date.
The pair also asked for the city’s help in getting a wayfaring sign on U.S. 74 to let people passing through know that they, and the other restaurants that have sprung up downtown, are there, once they are up and running.
“Thank you for your investment in Hamlet,” said Mayor Pro Tem Jesse McQueen.
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Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2673 or gstone@www.yourdailyjournal.com.